Love is a Struggle
by Take Your Sweet Time
Summary: This takes place before the Epilogue. Katniss and Peeta are slowly growing back together but they have their struggles. Question is what kind of challenges? Find out. Rated M just to be safe.


**This is my first Hunger Games fanfic and I hope you like it.:)**

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"Get away from me mutt," Peeta sneered disgusted. Peeta and I were at my house, we fell asleep in each others arms but when I woke up I saw Peeta in the corner of the room hugging his knees.

"Peeta, it's me Katniss." I said softly. I was slowly walked towards Peeta.

"Mutt!" Peeta yelled. He then lunged at me. He pinned me to the floor and had his hands around my neck, he was choking me.

"Peeta." I said as I struggled to breath.

"Die. I must kill you before you kill me." Peeta said. I had enough. I punched Peeta with my strengths. Peeta flew back, his back to the floor. I quickly got up and left the room. I wanted to get far away him as I possibly can. He was behind me. I ran as fast as I could but Peeta had longer legs than me. He tackled me to the floor. He then flipped me over so that I looked at him. His pupils were big, it was just another episode. I was scared when he had an episode. His hands wrapped my neck, he tried to choke me again.

"I love you," I said.

"Nice try mutt." Peeta said and smirked.

"My love is true. Remember when we played true or false you asked me if I loved you, do you remember my response?" I said. I was losing air. I thought I was a goner. I saw Peeta's huge pupils slowly get back to a normal size.

"Katniss," he said, "why?" He then saw the position we were in. Peeta got up and took a step back. I got up as well.

"It's okay," I said soflty, I walked towards Peeta but Peeta took a step back.

"I hurt you," he said, "I hurted the women I love."

"Peeta, I'm not hurt."

"Then how did you get the bruises?"

"I was..." I couldn't think of an excuse.

"They hurt don't they?" Peeta asked. His eyes filled with tears.

"No," I lied, the bruises did hurt. I still felt as if his hands were still on my neck. Peeta ran to my room, well our room since we live together, he slammed the door. I jogged to the door. I put my ear against the door.

"I hurt Katniss," he said to himself, "I hurt her. I don't want to hurt her. I love her. I'm not sure if I can be around her anymore."

I lightly knocked on the door. "Peeta." my voice croaked.

"Go away," his voice was shaky. I knew he was crying.

"Open the door," I said softly.

"No."

"Peeta." I said. I felt hopeless. I then had an idea, I sang.

_Love is strong, love gives strengths. Open your heart to open the door. I want to hold you to close the pain. I'll never leave your sight again, I'll be with you till my days end. Let me in to close the pain, or comfort you through the pain. I'll never leave your sight again, I'll be with you till my world ends. I want to hold you in my arms. I only want you tonight. Open the door to open your heart. I hope you see my heart is pure. Love is strong, love gives strengths._

I sighed. The door slowly opens. I see Peeta's beautiful blue eyes but his eyes are red too.

"Why did you stop singing?" He asked. My throat hurts.

"I couldn't think of anything else," I said. I felt pain inside my throat, I was losing my voice.

"I love your singing," Peeta complimented.

"I know." I said. I felt tired, I was sleepy. I sat on the floor and leaned my head against the door. Peeta open the door. He bent down and carried my bridal style. He placed me on the bed. He turned to leave.

"Peeta," I said now wide awake. He looked at me. "Come, I want you here." I said then patted the spot next to me. Peeta looked at the floor.

"I don't want to hurt." Peeta said.

"But you're not having an episode right now."

"I know. "

"Come."

Peeta sighed. He walks to the bed and joined me. He has a hand on his head and the other around my waist. He looked at my eyes. I don't know what emotions I showed because his eyes teared up again. I placed my hand on his cheek.

"Don't cry."

Peeta then looks at my neck. With the hand he had on my waist he traces the bruises on my neck. I have the urge to move, but I don't because I don't want to hurt Peeta's feelings. I lay still as a statue. Peeta then pokes a bruise on my neck I jumped.

"Did I hurt you that badly?" He asked. I stayed silent, I didn't knew what to say. Peeta kissed my forehead.

"You'll stay right?" I asked.

"Only if you want me to."

"I do."

"I will stay. Does your throat hurt?"

"A little."

"You sound like you have a sore throat." He said. I nodded. I didn't want to talk anymore. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I try to calm down but I can't help it. After I have an episode I don't remember what I did." I nodded. I was sleepy. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I dreamt that I was in a room, the room was white but on the walls hanged knives, whips and injections that I didn't knew what contained. I tried to move but I was strapped to a table. I moved but every time that I moved but I felt the straps on my wrists get tighter.

"Peeta!" I yelled.

"No one can save you, child." A dark voice said. I knew that voice, it was Snow.

"Your dead, I killed you." I said angrily. He laughed evilly.

"You believe you did but here I am, I am in one piece." he said.

"What do you want?"

"I want many things, Katniss," Snow said, he grabbed a knife, he looked at the blade hungrily as if waiting for the perfect chance to use it. I knew he wanted to use that knife on me. "I want retake what was once mine, what you took away. I want to be feared not be a laughing stock." Snow yelled.

"Good luck trying."

Snow laughed. "Your sense of humor is amusing."

"That wasn't humor."

"To me it was humor. I want what I once had."

"Meaning, return to the Hunger Games."

"Yes, you are very smart. I want the Hunger Games to return. I want those stupid, no good districts to burn. I want to bomb those districts to the ground. I want no survivors. I want the Hunger Games to return to see one another kill each other. You want to know the first person that I want to join? You. I want the obstacles to be much more difficult. I want you to die."

"Those districts stood up to you, they helped put you to an end. I want to bomb you to make sure you are dead this time. The Hunger Games will never return! If they did good luck trying to break me."

"You are so funny, Katniss. Breaking you is as easy as breaking a twig in half. Peeta. I know torturing Peeta breaks you. I enjoy seeing you break. I enjoy every minute, every second of it. I also enjoy Peeta's pain. You should hear his screams and his pleas. He says 'Hurt me. Don't hurt Katniss. Kill me it doesn't matter.' Katniss, don't you think that was touching? Once star crossed lovers, those were the days.

Those districts only stood up to me because of you. I should've killed you when I had to chance. You were their so called 'Mockingjay'. They had hope. You were their last hope. I should've killed you to destroy that hope. I should've broad casted your painful death on television for everyone could see the 'Mockingjay' breathing her last final, painful death."

"The districts would've still stood up to you even if I wasn't their Mockingjay. Yes, it could've taken more time but they still would have defeated you."

"No, I would've had everything under control. " Snow said. He then walked to me the knife in his hand. He holds the knife to my neck. I then heard someone scream. I thought it was Peeta. "You thought correctly, it is Peeta. Care to see him?" Snow asked. I don't want to see him injured. "Too bad."

The wall in front of me crumbled. The opened wall led to another room. It was identical to the room I was in but it had more instruments. In the center of the room was Peeta. Peeta had a swollen eye, no shirt, and was strapped to a table. There were two other people with him. The two people wore white jumpsuits with a mask. One of the man wore yellow gloves and held a vaccine.

"No," Peeta yelled. The other man pointed at me. Peeta turned to see where the man pointed at. He saw me. His pupils turned foam came from his mouth.

"Kill her. She is just a waste of oxygen." Peeta said. Snow smiled. He took 5 steps back. He laughed.

"With pleasure," Snow said he threw the knife to my chest, my heart.

I woke up screaming. I was sweaty. I felt tears filled up my eyes. I place a hand over my heart making sure their was no wound. There was a wasn't. I still felt pain in my heart, I felt the pain of the knife actually going through my body. I felt arms around me. It was Peeta.

"It's okay," he said, "I'm here." Peeta sat up and I did as well. I sat on his lap.

"I was so scared," I said, my throat still hurted.

"What happened?"

"Snow was alive. He said he wants restore everything that he did. He wants the Hunger Games to return. He said he wants me in it. He wants me to die. He held a knife to my neck. A wall crumbled that showed you being tortured." I said. I didn't want to tell Peeta how he was being tortured. I didn't want him to have an episode right now.

I wrapped my legs around Peeta. Normally, I would feel uncomfortable feeling Peeta in that area but I don't care. I wanted him to hold me. Peeta was shirtless. I leaned my head in his chest. I heard the smooth sound of his heartbeat. We stayed still. I looked up and he looked down. I kissed Peeta on the lips. The kiss was urgent but passionate at the same time. I laid on the bed with Peeta on top of me. We continued kissing. My hands were in Peeta's hair and his hands were on my waist his thumb circled my hipbone. Peeta pulled away but I pulled him back into another kiss. Peeta pulled away again and got off me.

"That's all. I don't want that type of kissing leading to other things." Peeta said.

"Why not?" I asked.

"I just don't want to force you on things you're not ready for."

I sat up and kissed his cheek. "That's sweet."

"Let's go to sleep."

I nodded. I laid on the bed. Peeta was next to me and wrapped his arm aroun my waist.

"Sweet dreams," Peeta whispered in my ear. I then dozed of to sleep.

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**Did you like it? Continue? I made up the lyrics. Sorry if you think the lyrics suck. Leave a review!:)**


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